Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar could face probe after family wealth skyrockets

U.S. Congresswoman Ilhan Omar could be facing a probe over how her family’s wealth skyrocketed in just one year.

The Minnesota lawmaker is facing heat amid allegations of fraud in her home state, including the funding of seemingly vacant child care centres.

According to financial disclosures by Omar and her husband Tim Mynett, their personal fortune soared to at least $6 million and up to $30 million in 2024, the Washington Free Beacon reported in September.

The New York Post also reported Omar’s massive wealth gains, according to the financial disclosures.

Omar denied she is a millionaire earlier this year and called the allegations a disinformation campaign by conservative operatives.

“Since getting elected, there has been a coordinated right-wing disinformation campaign claiming all sorts of wild things, including the ridiculous claim I am worth millions of dollars which is categorically false,” Omar told Business Insider in February.

Who is Tim Mynett?

Mynett, a former political consultant with E Street Group, worked on Omar’s congressional campaign. She was elected as the first Somali-American to congress in 2018.

He owns a California winery and has a venture capital management firm, Rose Lake Capital, based in Washington, D.C.

Mynett divorced his wife Beth in 2019. She alleged he was having an affair with Omar, according to court documents obtained by NBC News.

Omar also divorced her husband, Ahmed Hirsi, in 2019, citing the “irretrievable breakdown of the marriage relationship,” TMZ reported at the time.

Less than a year later, the couple tied the knot in March 2020 in an Islamic and legal ceremony. She has three children with her ex and he has a son from his previous marriage.

Value of venture capital firm soars

The Post reported Rose Lake Capital’s value shot up roughly 3,500% from 2023 to 2024, managing about $60 billion in “previous” assets.

The report also said the names and bios of nine company officers were scrubbed from LinkedIn, raising questions about the removal.

Omar’s financial disclosures also said Mynett’s winery increased in value between $1 million and $5 million in 2024.

Peter Flaherty, who chairs the National Legal and Policy Center, told The Post that his organization is “certainly looking” at Omar’s financial disclosures.

Fraud investigation ramps up

The potential probe comes at a time when FBI and the Department of Homeland Security increased resources into Minnesota to investigate allegations of fraud in the state with the largest population of Somalis.

The ramped-up efforts followed a video that went viral by YouTube content creator Nick Shirley, at Somali-run day cares.

The video was retweeted by Vice President JD Vance and tech impresario Elon Musk, who was hired by President Donald Trump to head the Department of Government Efficiency.

The buildup of federal agents investigating the allegations in Minneapolis was due in part to the video, a law enforcement official told CNN.

Immigration crackdown launched

The Trump administration also launched an immigration crackdown in the state earlier this month as part of what the president said is efforts to deport criminals from the country.

Homeland Security said its agents have arrested hundreds of people since Operation Metro Surge began weeks ago.

According to Homeland Security, individuals with deportation orders are being targeted.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has decried the immigration operations as “political theatre” by Trump that puts many people at risk.

“I think it’s pretty clear to all of us what this president is doing,” Walz said last week. “He’s targeting states and communities that he has a national political fight against and that he doesn’t agree with. It’s all a distraction from his own personal crimes that are out there being investigated while he’s harassing others.”